Norway: The home of the fjords - but also the £12 pint.

The former has always drawn me to the most northerly of the Scandinavian countries while the latter has held me back.

Their unwillingness to join the single market and take up the Euro has made it difficult for us Brits to afford their spectacular scenery, vibrant culture and friendly hospitality.

The only feasible way to do it – I’ve been told – is on a cruise where you can eat, sleep and drink on board at UK prices and then, once well fed and watered, venture onto land.

British company Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) offer six nights exploring the country with all transport, accommodation and food for just £472.

Departing Tilbury, a stone’s throw from junction 31 on the M25, their Summertime Fjordland cruise stops at pretty Eidfjord, Flam and Bergen before returning to London on the morning of the seventh day.

Our ship was CMV’s spacious 46,052 tonne flagship, the Magellan. Catering for 1,250 passengers across its 12 decks, it features two restaurants, a selection of bars, a nightclub, swimming pools, library, games room and a spa.

Sure, it does not have the outdoor cinemas, rock climbing walls and surf machines of the likes of some of the more exclusive American liners, but nor would you expect it to at a third of the price.

However, the service aboard the Magellan is every bit as impressive as that of its more expensive competition. As from the moment we step from the Essex quayside our every need is catered for.

We had one of the spacious and comfortable superior plus twin rooms with an ocean view, en suite bathroom and flatscreen TV.

After getting settled in we set sail in time to enjoy dinner while drifting down the Thames Estuary.

The food is not going to win any Michelin Stars but it is hearty, tasty, varied and good fun. Certainly for the all-inclusive price, it is a step up from what you would expect.

What’s more, it is plentiful with effectively five meals a day available to get stuck into. For breakfast there is full English and continental. For lunch there is everything from roast venison and rabbit to fish and chips, salads, pasta and pizza.

Not long after comes afternoon tea with cakes, scones, puddings and more, before proceedings turn a little more formal in the evening for dinner.

Two nights aboard are dress up events (black tie and cocktail dresses) while another two are formal (lounge suits and dresses) and the rest casual.

The only real expense on the ship is the drinks. Guests can either opt for the package which is £17 a day for all you can manage or to pay as they go. And with beers between £2.80 and £3.50 and cocktails around the £3.85 mark, the prices are hardly going to break the bank.

Day two onboard was spent on the remarkably calm North Sea, allowing us to enjoy all the Magellan had to offer, including a host of activities, games, arts and craft classes and even Scandinavian history lectures. However, all this was really just the support act for the main event: the fjords.

At daybreak on the third day as the sun rose over the steep inclines to the starboard side, the stunning scenery that would surround us for the next few days came into view.

The water a deep dark blue, almost motionless but teeming with life. Then almost as soon as it meets land the terrain goes skywards with waterfalls cascading in every direction. Pines are perched precariously on the hillsides, snow caps the highest peaks and little fishing villages break up the vast green landscape. The only sounds to be heard are the powerful rush of the waterfalls and the call of one of the many native birds. It is everything you expect and more.

Our first port of call was Eidfjord. Home to little over 900 people, it is the perfect introduction to the area. Traditional, friendly, unspoilt and ludicrously scenic.

A short drive inland is the excellent Hardangervidda Nature Centre which features a breath-taking virtual helicopter ride in an Imax style cinema that will leave you both spellbound and slightly queasy.

We then took the mountain road up countless hairpin bends to the Fossli Hotel at more than 1,000 metres.

Famous for being the place Edvard Grieg drew inspiration to write his Opus 66 in 1896 – his Zimmermann piano remains in the drawing room – the hotel sits at the head of the narrow Måbødalen valley, just a short walk from the stunning Måbødalen waterfall – which with a freefall of 163 metres it is one of the most dramatic in Europe.

Back on the Magellan with the thousand plus guest sitting down to dinner, the captain sets sail for Flam, home of the Flam Railway which last year Lonely Planet declared the best train journey in the world.

The terminus, which is just a short walk from the water’s edge, is no different to thousands of others across Europe. But as the electric powered train begins to slowly climb the 886 metres (which takes around an hour) you begin to see why it remains such a draw for visitors.

Within minutes of leaving Flam, manicured lawns and pristine flower beds make way for gushing waterfalls, sheer ravines and precariously placed farmhouses.

The scene would not look out of place in one of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, as the green of the mountainside meadows, pines and wild flowers fuse beautifully with the rugged, dangerous and snow capped mountaintops.

It is in stark contrast to our final port of call, Bergen.

Built on a series of islands, the historic city is as pretty as it is expensive. Top of any itinerary should be the city’s funicular railway, which climbs an impressive 320 metres in just a few minutes.

The sites at the top are among the most spectacular of the trip. The stunning panoramic views shows why Disney’s hit film Frozen was supposedly inspired by the city.

Elsewhere in beautiful Bergen is the Unesco World Heritage Site Bryggen. Once the city’s hub of commerce, its narrow lanes and timber shops now cater for tourists looking to buy everything from local jewellery to fur coats and stuffed reindeers.

Bergen oozes history with castles, city walls, museums and dozens of beautiful wooden Stave churches.

With history, culture, great food and fantastic nightlife, it is the kind of city you could visit for a mini break – provided you have deep pockets.

But after just a day of sightseeing it is back aboard the Magellan for the 36 hour journey back to Tilbury.

Take a flight and you could be back at Gatwick within a couple of hours. But sitting in the poolside Jacuzzi, beer in hand with the late summer sun setting behind the North Sea oil rigs, I know which journey I prefer.

CMV offer cruises to Europe, Asia, the Americas and beyond setting off from eight ports around the UK.
We were on the Summertime Fjordland cruise in a superior plus twin room at a cost of £499 per person.
The Magellan will also be going on her maiden round the world cruise in 2017 with 120 days priced from £8,999.
For more details call 0844 998 3796 or visit cruiseandmaritime.com.